Well…Here it is. The one thing I found strangest about this…Even though there were only a few people who wanted a T.K./Mia ending, I could hardly find a single review for Ch. 5 that didn't say something along the lines of 'Poor Mia!' 'She's dead!' 'Poor T.K.!' etc. One person even said that he/she didn't like Mia, but he/she felt sorry that she'd died. (Of course, I think there'd be about that same reaction of Sora died in the show, but the only ones who agree with me work at Kari's Angels…)

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon, but Gabriel, Mia, the Rivets and the Angels (the gang, not my friends) all belong to me and me alone. Okay? Okay…

Of Rivets and Angels

Chapter 6: Dark Thoughts

T.K. ran through the streets, feet pounding loudly on the pavement. Every other step he splashed into a fresh puddle, sending water everywhere, but he didn't feel it. He just kept sobbing in his mind, letting the tears stream down his cheeks.

"It's…my fault…" he wept in his mind. "Mia died…To save me…She's dead… That Rivet…I killed him…I killed her…What've I done?!"

He tripped and hit the dirt, but didn't get up. He just lay there, sobbing, crying, gripping the earth angrily.

"Why?!" he raged to no one but himself. "Why is it always like this?! Why is it that everyone I care about…everyone I love…Why do they always have to suffer because of me?! It wasn't supposed to end this way!"

Images ran through his mind, over and over. Mia. The gun. The Rivet. Kari. Angemon. His brother. His mother. Angemon. Mia. Kari. Mia…

He took in another stuttering sob and pounded the ground, enraged. All his life, all jumbled together, thrown into one big mess all in his head. Sorrow over sorrow, all over and over and over and over…

He hadn't always been fighting just against the Rivets, or against the Digimon, or anything else. In his heart…he'd always thought…Always believed…That if he got strong enough, they wouldn't have to protect him or suffer because of him. He thought running away would wipe his slate clean, and he could start over, someplace where he wouldn't have to be protected. But it had followed him, even here, his whole life:

Angemon…He'd given his life for him. Sure, he'd come back. But he was a Digimon! They always came back. He still had to suffer…

Mia…She'd done the same thing, but she wasn't coming back. She was no Digimon, pure human. She could've gone on and fulfilled her dream of working at the F.B.I.…She should've been able to do it! But instead she'd thrown herself in for him…and paid for it with her life.

Kari…at the thought, T.K. gagged. The ransom photo had obviously been towards him, not Mia. If the Rivets knew about Kari, they could take her again…And if her first, who else? His father? Matt? Even…His mother?

He couldn't let that happen.

"The best way to save the threatened…" he thought, standing. "Is to eliminate the threat…"

The threat wasn't the Rivets. It was the Angels, and it wasn't this gang war. Not for them. The threat against his friends, his family, everyone he loved was…himself.

Moments later, he was staring of the edge of the bridge, leaning on the rail. The river was deep and furious from last night's rain. It was perfect.

"River…" he muttered, half to it and half to himself. "Carry this body far away…I want them never to know what happened to me…"

With a running leap, he launched himself over the edge and plunged thirty feet down to the water.

~ * ~ * ~

Nancy sighed as she put the last of the clean dishes away in its place. She could hear the scratching of a pen in Matt's bedroom, and figured he was working on something for his studies at the university.

She looked up, just for a moment, at a line of pictures on the mantle. Somewhere in each one was the smiling face of her younger son, in many different ages. Sometimes he was eight, or five, or twelve, but he was always there, eyes twinkling, it didn't matter if he was playing with his brother or curled in her lap.

Nancy sighed again. Bitter sweet memories…

The phone in the hallway rang. She picked it up on the third ring, and could hear Matt leaning back in his chair to hear. "Hello? Takaishai residence."

"Ms. Takaishai, this is Dr. Mikado down at Odiva Regional Hospital." said a man's voice. "I believe we have your son here in the emergency wing."

Nancy gagged. "M-My son?!" she gasped.

"Yes." the doctor seamed a bit surprised. "Aren't you Nancy Takaishai?"

"Y-Yes…" Nancy stammered out. Matt stuck his head out the door to see what was going on.

"Mother of Takeru 'T.K.' Takaishai?" the doctor continued. "We have him here."

Nancy's mussels tensed, but she forced her body to remain very calm. "You must be mistaken." she said, suddenly cold. "T.K. has been gone for almost three years now."

"Well, we have him here." the doctor continued. "A young girl and an older man brought him in about an hour ago. He just tried to commit suicide over the Yokohama bridge."

Matt raced out of his room at a sudden loud noise from the hall. His mother was holding her hand as though to grip the telephone, which was dangling from its cord inches above the floor.

"Ms. Takaishai?" the voice on the other end called. "Ms. Takaishai, are you alright?"

"Mom?" Matt shook her shoulder gently. "Mom, what happened? Mom? Mom?"

~ * ~ * ~

T.K. awoke, his ears ringing. There was bright white light all around him, and warm, clean sheets with flannel blankets. He heard new, fresh raindrops outside and smelled a combination of bad food and antibiotics.

His eyes flew open. A stark white hospital room. He blinked a few times, then tried moving his stiff arms and legs. There was a stab of pain and he gazed at his hands in surprise and wonder. "I-I'm…I'm alive?" he asked the walls. What had happened?

There was a small moan and he felt someone grip his covers. He glanced down. Kari had been sitting up next to him, but grown tired and laid her head on his lap to rest. She was wet, newly-dried, with spots in her clothes. It was obvious that she'd been soaked to the bone.

T.K. ran his fingers through her hair. It was still moist. "Kari…was it you?" he asked in his mind. "Did you save me? Pull me out of the water? Kari…why?"

"I see you've woken up."

T.K. looked up and jumped a foot. Standing in the doorway was Gabriel, leader of the Angels. "S-Sir!" he gasped.

"No need to get up." Gabriel laughed. "You both need your rest."

T.K. looked down at Kari and sighed. Gabriel nodded. "A remarkable young woman." he muttered. "And very loyal…Saw you jump of the bridge and gave no second thought to going in after you…"

T.K. sighed, but this time it was very, very sad. "Gabriel…" he whispered, tears sprouting. "I didn't deserve to be rescued…She…She should've just let me drown!"

"Do you really think that, T.K.?" Gabriel asked quietly. "Is life really as bad as you think?"

"It doesn't matter what my life is like…" the boy whispered. "It's over…"

"Things get better, T.K.…"

"It'll never get better!" he raged at himself. "Don't you understand? I just killed a man!"

Gabriel was quiet. T.K.'s noise had shaken Kari out of her rest. For a moment she sat up, blinking and wondering what was going on. When she saw T.K., her face flooded with a smile.

"T.K.! You're alright!" she cried, and with one swift motion, flung her arms around him. T.K. jumped again and just stared at her in shock. "I…I was so worried!" she sobbed.

"Kari…" T.K. whispered, then hugged her back.

Gabriel touched the young man's shoulder. T.K. looked up. "Let the dead burry the dead today." the leader whispered, then stood. "Go back to your family, Angel…your duty is over."

T.K. pulled away from Kari to face the leader. "What…" he started, but cut short.

Gabriel dropped a short black Angels jacket into his lap. It was made for a woman, and then would only have reached her waist. There were bullet holes, gash marks, and the hint of gentle perfume. In the pocket, a delicate silver chain that had once rested around a hero's neck lay dormant.

"You should keep it." Gabriel told him quietly. "Mia will be given the proper funeral, I promise you. So go back to your mother. Go back to your home. Don't worry about the Rivets…they won't bother you again."

With that, he turned and left.

There was silence a moment, before the door creaked open again. One of the nurses, in her white dress and squeaky shoes, stood there with a clipboard. "It seams you have another visitor…"

T.K. and Kari looked up as the older brown-haired woman entered in. T.K. looked sheepishly up through his bangs with a slight smile. "Hi mom…"

~ * ~ * ~

Kari appeared at the Takaishai's doorstep two weeks later, wearing her Odiva High uniform. "Good morning, Nancy." she said brightly. "I thought I'd walk T.K. to his fist day."

Nancy smiled gently at her son's girlfriend. "I'm sorry, Kari. T.K. has already left." she got a very thoughtful look. "He said he wanted to do something before school…"

Kari seamed surprised, then thought a moment and nodded. "I see…Thank you, Nancy." she gave the older woman a bow and hurried away. She knew where he was going…

She found him right where she'd thought, kneeling before a gravestone in the Odiva cemetery. It was an angel, a real one, cradling a child in her arms. The inscription was plain: Amelia Hameraki Tisatsu.

T.K., on his knees, was staring…just staring. Mia's jacket was in his arms. The silver chain was wrapped around his wrist. His eyes were out of focus, and he kept seeing the memories floating in front of him. Of Mia…Battles and training. Watching the sun set over the buildings. After the battles, thanking heavens they were still alive.

Kari leaned over his shoulder and kissed her boyfriend on the cheek. "You miss her, don't you?"

T.K. wiped his eyes on his sleeve. "Yeah…" he croaked. "She was…a dear friend…"

"A bit more than that, huh?" Kari asked quietly, resting her head on his shoulder. He wouldn't answer. "It's okay…I'm not jealous. I just…want to make sure you're okay…"

"I'm fine…" he muttered, standing and helping her to her feet. "I just needed a little alone time, I guess…I don't want to forget her…"

"Then don't." Kari smiled at him. T.K. smiled back.

Kari grabbed his arm and lead him out of the graveyard. "Come on…We'll be late for school." she whispered. "We can walking together."

T.K. nodded and they started down the street, Kari leaning on his arm. T.K. spoke again, staring off into the sky.

"Hey Kari?"

"Yeah?"

"Do you think we can…watch the sun set sometimes?"

Kari nodded. "Of course, T.K.…Anything you want…"

The End